Western Gray Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) Fact Sheet: Summary

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Diprotodontia – koalas, wombats, possums, and macropods (kangaroos, tree kangaroos, wallabies, etc.)

Family: Macropodidae – kangaroos, tree kangaroos, wallabies, pademelons, etc.

Genus: Macropus

Subgenus: Macropus (Macropus)

Species: Macropus fuliginosus - western gray kangaroo

Subspecies: M. f. fuliginosus
Subspecies: M. f. melanops

Body Weight
Male: 18-72 kg (39-158 lb)
Female: 17-39 kg (37-86 lb)

Head-to-tail Length
Male: 94.6-222.5 cm (37.2-87.6 in)
Female: 67.1-174.6 cm (26.4-68.7 in)

Tail Length
Male: 42.5-100 cm (16.7-39.4 in)
Female: 44.3-81.5 cm (17.4-32.1 in)

Pelage
Shades of brown to brownish-gray; paler on underside.
White stripe along lower jawline.
Often darker face, paws, elbows, feet, and/or end of tail.

Range
Southern Australia, from Shark Bay to southwest Queensland. Includes west New South Wales, west Victoria, and Kangaroo Island, South Australia.

Habitat
Various types of open woodland, scrubland, and grassland. Also, pastureland.

IUCN Status
Least Concern (2015 assessment)

CITES Appendix
Not listed

Other Designations
Australian government: protected as a native species

Population in Wild
Populations reported to be increasing; Australian Government estimates 4.8 million individuals (2017 surveys).

Locomotion
Bipedal hop, especially at higher speeds.
Use four limbs and tail to walk at slower speeds.
Can swim, if necessary.

Activity Cycle
Strongly influenced by temperature and day length.
Rest when weather is hot; active when cool (dawn, dusk, at night). Influenced by season, weather, location, and food availability.

Social Groups
Highly social. Structured groups and subgroups, but considerable movement of individuals in and out of groups. Adult females with young and juveniles form the core of groups.

Diet
Mainly grasses (native and introduced). Some shrubs, trees, and other types of plants. Also consume some crops and “poison bushes,” which have fluroacetate toxins as a defense.

Predators
Adults: humans, and in some areas, dingoes; historically, the Tasmanian wolf/Tasmanian tiger, before arrival of the dingo from Asia.
Young: European red foxes and Wedge-tailed Eagles thought to contribute significantly to mortality of young, but more research is needed.

Gestation
31 days, on average (range: 27-54)

Litter Size
Usually one

Interbirth Interval
Except during drought, females give birth each year

Birth Weight
0.82 g (0.03 oz)

Age at Weaning
About 18 months

Typical Life Expectancy
Wild populations: average life expectancy not reported; individuals older than 10-12 years are rare
Managed care: no AZA estimates

Feature Facts

• Gray kangaroos are the most social macropods
• Save energy by hopping at faster speeds
• Pant, sweat, and lick forearms to cool down
• Microorganisms living in their forestomach aid in digestion and in detoxifying chemical plant defenses
• Teeth wear down and are eventually shed
• Males have more muscle mass in their forearms than females; helps them defeat rival males
• High mortality among males; few survive to breed successfully
• Males smell like curry
• Important, symbolic animal of Australia's national heritage as well as within Australian Aboriginal cultures
• In colonial times, European settlers hunted kangaroo in a style comparable to English foxhunts
• Today, commercially harvested in some parts of Australia for meat, skins (to make leather), and to create products sold to tourists